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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23569369">The Proposal</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/steggyistruelove/pseuds/steggyistruelove'>steggyistruelove</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Agent Carter (TV), Avengers: End Game - Fandom, Captain America (Movies), End Game - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Post end game, Post-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:01:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,182</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23569369</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/steggyistruelove/pseuds/steggyistruelove</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Three times Steve tried to propose.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Peggy Carter &amp; Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Proposal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He’s home six months –that’s how he’s come to think of this time. Home. – when he asks her the first time. They’re out on a date, nothing fancy just dinner at the Automat and walk home through the brisk fall air.</p>
<p>But there is something about this night, and about her that has Steve’s mind spinning.</p>
<p>Peggy tucks her hand in the crook of his elbow as they walk down the bustling New York street, her pumps clicking on the pavement and her laughter ringing in his ears. She’s so perfect at that moment, Steve can find himself gazing at her instead of watching where he’s going.</p>
<p>“You’re staring,” Peggy announces halfway home when she catches him gazing at her in absolute wonder.</p>
<p>Steve opens his mouth to apologize, but the words, don’t come. She’s looking at him with those warm brown eyes of hers, and he’s completely lost in them.</p>
<p>“What’s the matter, Darling, cat got your tongue?” She teases chocolate hues sparkling with humor. And then the words come tumbling out.</p>
<p>“What if we got married?”</p>
<p>Peggy stops dead in her tracks; eyes wide like she’s seen a ghost.</p>
<p>“Oh, Darling,” it’s at this moment Steve realizes that this is all wrong, not at all how a proposal should go. Panic-stricken he clamps a large hand over Peggy’s mouth, it doesn’t occur to him how stupid of an idea this is until later.</p>
<p>“Don’t say anything.” He tells the shocked and probably pissed off Peggy.</p>
<p>“I don’t want an answer, forget I said anything- hey!” Yanking his hand away Steve is disgusted that she resorted to something as childish as biting.</p>
<p>“Don’t you do that to me again, Steve Rogers!” Her normally immaculate lipstick is smudged, and her eyes are full of fire.</p>
<p>“Peg, I’m sorry-” But Peggy doesn’t stop to listen instead she storms on home angry.</p>
<p>Steve sleeps on the couch for a week.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The second time they just finished having sex, basking in the glow of their lovemaking. Steve’s drawing nonsense patterns on her spine and Peggy’s head is pillowed over his heart where she can listen to the steady drum of his heartbeat.</p>
<p>“I don’t think I’ll be able to move for a week,” Peggy declares as they lie together, her left hand coming to rest on his chest, and Steve is painfully aware of how empty her hand looks without a ring. They’d been living in sin for almost a year, not that Steve minded living this way, but people talked, the whispers of their neighbors out on the street did not escape his super hearing.</p>
<p>“I’ve been thinking…” Steve says suddenly breaking the comfortable silence between them.</p>
<p>“A dangerous pastime,” Peggy quips, he knows she’s teasing but right now he’s serious and here she is making jokes.</p>
<p>“If you’re going to make fun of me, then forget it.”</p>
<p>“Oh, come on, Steve, that was funny!” She rolls her eyes, at him “tell me what you’ve been thinking.”</p>
<p>“No more jokes?”</p>
<p>“No more jokes, Girl Guide’s honor.”</p>
<p>“You weren’t a Girl Guide, Peg.”</p>
<p>“Oh, details, tell me what you’ve been thinking!” Peggy is sitting up now, looking down at him, and Steve finds the words, unfortunately, they were the wrong words.</p>
<p>“What if I made an honest woman out of you?” He knows the second Peggy’s eyes narrow that this was the wrong thing to say.</p>
<p>“An honest woman out of me?” Her voice is dangerous, and Steve knows he’s in hot water.</p>
<p>“Well, we’ve been together now for a little over a year…”</p>
<p>“And?” It occurs to him that this is going about as well as his last attempt to propose and that this is all wrong.</p>
<p>“… And I’ve heard people talking about us.” This was completely the wrong thing to say.</p>
<p>“So, you want to marry me to preserve my honor, and stop people from whispering about us?”</p>
<p>“No!” Now Steve’s sitting up, but he can tell by the look in her eyes that there is no salvaging this.</p>
<p>“If this is your idea of a proposal, Steve-”</p>
<p>“It’s not, you know what, just forget I said anything, I’m sorry I did. I’m going to go sleep on the couch” He says getting up and grabbing his pillow, had to get better at this, if he ever wanted to marry Peggy Carter.</p>
<p>Steve sleeps on the couch for two weeks, but he does go to the bank the next day and open his mother’s safe deposit box to get her engagement ring.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The third time he’s prepared, He’s ordered dinner from her favorite Italian place, and put on their song when she comes home. He’s been here for a year and a half, it’s time to get this thing right.</p>
<p>“What’s all this?” Peggy asks when she comes home to a candlelit apartment with the sound of Harry James and his Orchestra coming from their record player.</p>
<p>“I made dinner,” Steve says kissing her in greeting as she hangs up her coat.</p>
<p>“<em>You</em> made dinner?”</p>
<p>“Okay, technically Mario’s on 42<sup>nd</sup> made dinner, but I set up the candles and the record,” Steve admits as he leads her over to the table.</p>
<p>Peggy smiles, and sits, tucking into her chicken parmesan and telling Steve all about how her day at the office had gone, while he pours the two of them wine and listens, secretly checking his pocket for the precious cargo inside.</p>
<p>After dinner he clears their plates away and pulls her in for a dance, holding her close while she hums to the song on the record player.</p>
<p>This is right, just how it’s supposed to be.</p>
<p>“Hey, Peg?”</p>
<p>“Yes, my darling?” Her eyes are closed but they’re still swaying to the music, her head tucked under his chin protectively.</p>
<p>“I got something to ask you.” She hums in acknowledgment but doesn’t pull away, and as much as he would love to keep holding her while he went through this next part, he needs to do this thing properly for once.</p>
<p>Letting go of Peggy, Steve reached for the ring in his pocket and took a knee. Peggy’s eyes are wide as saucers and she’s covering her mouth with her hands.</p>
<p>“Peggy, I love you, I-”</p>
<p>“Yes!” The words come tumbling out of her mouth much as they had out of his that first time he tried this.</p>
<p>“I haven’t even asked you yet, I had this whole speech prepared and everything.” Steve laughs, but Peggy is shaking her head.</p>
<p>“I don’t care, my answer is yes!” Holding out her hand for him, Steve slips the ring on her finger and barely stands up before Peggy launches herself into his arms and kisses him soundly. This is what he wanted, this happy reaction.</p>
<p>And it only took three tries!</p>
<p>“I love you, my darling,” Peggy says tears welling up in her eyes from joy, Steve smiles and dried the happy tears with the pads of his thumbs.</p>
<p>“I love you too,”</p>
<p>They continued to dance for a long time after that, Steve tracing the place where the engagement ring now sat.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you, please leave a review if you enjoyed it!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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